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What is the function of this part of my scizors. enter image description here

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This feature is described as a bottle/jar opener on a product page for shears that look like yours from the photo:

enter image description here

Looking at other available scissors with this type of feature, the manufacturers describe it in various ways:

  • Williams-Sonoma: "Handle has a built-in bottle opener"
  • Victorinox: "The Shears feature a cavity designed to crack nuts or to help twist open stubborn jar lids"
  • OXO: "Built-in herb stripper removes fresh herbs from tough stems" (this looks different from your picture, but I wonder if it would still work)

Image gallery of all products with description: https://i.sstatic.net/UzZVO.jpg

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    I'm not sure why they say "jar" - those jaws are far too small for anything but the tiniest jars.
    – Chris H
    Commented Sep 21, 2022 at 8:31
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    @ChrisH yeah, I tried to find videos of people actually using the "jar opener" feature but couldn't find anything useful after a quick search
    – TylerW
    Commented Sep 21, 2022 at 19:24
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    @M.K I can't imagine it doing that as well as a teaspoon handle or butter knife. One pair I have (or had) with these jaws also had a bottle opener in the back of one of the blades. Maybe I'll look for them in my camping cooking stuff tonight
    – Chris H
    Commented Sep 22, 2022 at 8:43
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    You have to realize that at one time, a reputable company decided to make scissors with this feature for a certain purpose (probably a nut cracker), but then everyone has copied it and possibly mistranslated the purpose along the way. There is no way this would work as a "jar opener" and would probably just bend up the lid on a bottle and not work well.
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Sep 22, 2022 at 17:47
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    Works great for opening tight soda bottle caps. Source: I do that.
    – barbecue
    Commented Sep 22, 2022 at 19:40
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I only know this part as a bottle opener. I would not try to open nuts with it, if the nut is hard, the scissor could be ruined.

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    Yep. I have broken a pair of scissors exactly the same as OP's. The handle parts end up breaking due to the force to open nuts! but opening bottles is fine
    – M.K
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 11:56
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    There are kitchen shears that will not break if you use them to crack nuts, and maybe ones that are less durable have the same "features" even if they can’t handle the forces.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 13:24
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    Hmmm. What type of bottle is this supposed to open?
    – Eric Duminil
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 17:03
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    @EricDuminil: A jar with a screw top. The teeth dig into the metal, giving you a handle to push on, instead of just smooth round metal. Other ways to open a tough jar might involve a grippy material like rubberized that won't leave teeth marks on the metal, but the idea is to amplify the squeezing force of a hand to get a better grip on the metal that won't slip as easily when you try to turn.
    – Peter Cordes
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 22:57
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    @Fattie Every nutcracker I've ever seen that wasn't the kind that looks like a solider has teeth. The teeth grip the nut and prevent it from shooting out of the nutcracker when you squeeze it. The teeth also increase the pressure by decreasing the contact area to crack and penetrate the nut's shell with less force. Regardless of the purpose for this part of the shears, having teeth actually supports the idea that it's a nutcracker, it doesn't contradict it.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Commented Sep 22, 2022 at 2:34
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At least according to the KitchenSeer blog the middle part of the shears is for cracking nuts (although it can also be used as a bottle or jar opener).

Comparing to a dedicated nutcracker pictured as below, the similarity is notable.

image of a nutcracker

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    Yep, definitely supposed to be a nutcracker, though actually using it as one is generally a bad idea, as most scissors do not have a hinge that’s anywhere near as robust as the one you will find on a good dedicated nutcracker.
    – Austin Hemmelgarn
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 11:48
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    It's OK for hazelnuts (@AustinHemmelgarn) but not walnuts - not strong enough and too small. That said I've been using a hammer even for hazelnuts after unexpectedly finding a good wild source. I did have a pair of scissors identical to those in the picture. They broke somehow, but not cracking nuts
    – Chris H
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 13:35
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    It's definitely not. It's just for opening bottle tops or similar things that need to be grabbed. You could never in a million years crack nuts with it!
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 20, 2022 at 20:06
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    @Hobbamok I don't normally need nutcrackers but I went back to the toolbox last night for pliers which work very well. I think I've got a pair of scissor like that in the van. Maybe I'll try them against hazelnuts later
    – Chris H
    Commented Sep 21, 2022 at 8:30
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    " You could never in a million years crack nuts with it! " @Fattie It's possible to crack nuts with bare hands, so surely adding the scissors inbetween the hand and the nut shouldn't make it impossible.
    – Stef
    Commented Sep 21, 2022 at 15:49

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